WorldRX of France: Bakkerud Grabs Championship Lead

Sep 022019

When a quiet corner of north-west France is transformed into the epicentre of dirt thrashing racing it can only mean one thing. The FIA World Rallycross Championship is in town. Last weekend the series descended on the infamous Lohéac circuit - set in the sleepy town from which the venue gets its name.

With it, came tens of thousands of fans ready to soak up the sunshine and atmosphere while camped out on the amphitheatre like grass bankings around the 1km mashup of jumps, dirt, and asphalt.

Better still the on-track action didn't disappoint. The Monster Energy RX Cartel raced through to the Sunday finals, with Liam Doran finishing sixth in semi-final two. Team mate Andreas Bakkerud pushed through to the weekend’s grand final eventually finishing fifth. The final result doesn’t tell the whole story though.

Even though Bakkerud didn't come away with podium silverware, his results throughout the weekend - which included a win in Q3 - garnered enough championship points to put him at the top of the Drivers’ championship standings, with a two-point lead over eventual Lohéac winner Timmy Hansen.

An edge of the seat race for the championship in the final two remaining rounds now awaits in Latvia and South Africa. However not before Liam Doran and Andreas Bakkerud take on Gymkhana GRiD in Warsaw, Poland on September 7th.

Hit play below to re-live the action from round eight of the FIA World Rallycross Championship and scroll through the gallery of exclusive shots.